Acceptance
by MidnightBeforetheSunrise
Summary: Where Austria tries to understand the man who enjoys invading his territory at any possible time. Human names are used.
1. Chapter 1: Listening

A/N This is my first fanfic that I've posted. I would really appreciate it if you reviewed and told me what I can improve J

 _The first step to understand a person is to listen to them_

Roderich never knew why Gilbert found amusement in bothering him all the time. Though it could have been the same kind of enjoyment that he found when Gilbert was irritated.

However when he insulted Gilbert's singing, well, that was partially truthful.

Roderich knew that Gilbert didn't sing very well.

In fact, he often mentioned that in front of Gilbert's face. But that never stopped Gilbert from singing in the shower after he had burst into the aristocrat's house. Yet, he still couldn't quite help himself but to stand close to the bathroom when Gilbert was singing, because most of the words had much meaning. It expressed who Gilbert really was, not just the prideful idiot who invaded his house. In a way, though he would never admit it, Gilbert's singing was beautiful. And meaningful.

Often, Austria would leave before the song finished so that Prussia would never know about the incident (and mock him for it). However, Austria simply lost track of time. Conducting the concert was rather tiring after all. So Gilbert, with all his awesome glory, came out of the shower with his uniform on to see Roderich who appeared to have fallen asleep, on the floor with his back leaning on the wall.

"Kesesese… You came to hear the awesome me sing?"

Roderich immediately woke up, alarmed.

"N-No, not at all. Why would I? Your singing is rather atrocious"

But the stuttering and blushing couldn't really fool anyone, especially not someone who had known Roderich for that long. So Gilbert did know the true meaning behind those words, and it shocked him.

Because deep inside Gilbert had only sought for someone who would actually appreciate the things that he did. No one ever complimented his actions, and he always looked for approval.

And he found it, finally.

So Gilbert smiled, a real smile (not a smirk), and said nothing as he walked down the hall, Roderich following him.


	2. Chapter 2 : Patience

Patience

A/N Here's the next chapter!

 _Patience was always necessary to deal with him._

Austria was surprised when Prussia didn't say anything. The expected mocking and humiliation had never occurred, but a silence fell among them. Which was quite rare, as Gilbert was usually quite noisy.

Naturally the silence only lasted for a few seconds.

"What are we going to have for lunch today? It better be awesome!"

"I have no obligation to serve you lunch. So it is of no concern to me what you will eat today"

"Stingy…"

Roderich sighed.

This had gone on for the past week or so; thus, he knew that it didn't really matter what he said. In the end, he always ended up cooking something for Gilbert. His excuse had always been that it would be rude to not make lunch for a guest (even though he was always quite rude to Gilbert).

Usually, Roderich would play the piano while Gilbert would try to find something to occupy himself with.

But as Roderich headed down the halls to the elaborate room, Gilbert didn't stop talking.

"…So then I knew that the awesome me won. I mean when West starts talking about Italy like that it's pretty obvious that he's drunk…"

Roderich tried to ignore the obnoxious noises beside him. He was used to Gilbert rambling about random things. This was probably the sixth time that he heard some sort of story about Germany losing some sort of drinking game.

Roderich finally reached the piano and sat on the bench.

"I'm about to play the piano, please keep quiet"

"Kesesese, I was wondering when you would tell me to shut up. Certainly took you longer today…"

Roderich pretended not to hear the rest of the comment and started playing _Moonlight Sonata_ rather loudly.

But those words aggravated him because he knew.

He knew that even Gilbert's stories were somewhat annoying to listen to.

Yet today, was different.

And he couldn't quite realize what kept him from yelling at the fool.


	3. Chapter 3 : Loneliness

Loneliness

A/N I hope you guys like this chapter! Read and please review!

This is all in Austria's P.O.V

 _It just wasn't the same without him_

There were some days when Gilbert didn't come over.

That was usually when the arrogant fool went to visit his friends, Spain and France.

They would usually go out drinking to some local bar, at least that's what he grasped from Gilbert's ramblings.

Other times, Gilbert would lurk in Ludwig's basement, blogging. Well, that's what Germany said, though no one would ever be sure (since no one wanted to check on him for fear of annoyance….)

So it shouldn't be a surprise that Gilbert wasn't here.

Yet no matter how many times Austria tried to convince himself that he wasn't the least bit concerned, he knew it was a lie.

Hungary sometimes came over, but her presence was somewhat, lacking.

Germany sometimes came over, but that was for business reasons, most of the time.

It wasn't the same.

There seemed to be some emptiness in the house, some sort of void.

Everything was so quiet, so calm. And even though Austria claimed to like silence, he missed the constant complaining from Gilbert and those stories that no one really listened to.

He missed the man that managed to make a mess no matter where he went.

And the obnoxious laugh the surrounded the room, it was gone.

So Roderich sat on the piano bench, unable to play a single piece.

It is ironic that he could not concentrate that well without the background noise.

"Kesesesese… did you miss the awesome me?"

Roderich jumped a little, he hadn't heard anyone open the door.

"O-of course not. Your presence is a nuisance."

Again, Gilbert didn't say anything.

And again, Roderich knew that Gilbert was the only cure to his loneliness.


	4. Chapter 4: Understanding

Understanding

A/N Sorry it's been such a long time since I updated, I've been a bit busy lately…

I'll try to update more often! Thank you again for reading and please do review, it would mean a lot to me.

Austria P.O.V

 _How can I expect to understand him if I don't understand myself?_

It began to become obvious that Roderich didn't really know what he was doing.

No, it wasn't because he was on autopilot every day. Something just seemed to be missing.

Like a reason behind each action that he did. Or the way he would act around Gilbert.

Austria knew that he wasn't really kind to many, but he also noticed that he was definitely meaner around Gilbert.

And there would always be this guilt that awakened inside of him when he looked into Prussia's hurt eyes.

Then there were random days when he tried to be discreetly kind to Gilbert.

Those were a lot fewer and the actions were really small. Usually, it would include making lunch for Prussia or listening (partially) to Gilbert's long rants.

The good actions certainly don't balance the bad, but still, Roderich didn't know what to think of both. It caused him to doubt in his hate for Gilbert, which wasn't really good.

Because it caused confusion. And no one likes being confused with feelings towards what was supposed annoying enemy of some sort.

But he didn't want to admit to enjoying Gilbert's presence either.

 _He is going to be the end of me…_

And of course, Gilbert had to magically appear while Roderich sat in front of the piano contemplating the great mysteries of life.

"Kesesese…Been thinking of me?"

Austria jumped, and probably would have fallen off his chair, if Gilbert hadn't caught him

Gilbert cast a worried glance at him, and probably would have asked if he was alright, if Roderich hadn't ran out of the piano room.

No, Gilbert wasn't very predictable or easy to understand.

But Roderich had an odd feeling that he was worse in that area.


	5. Chapter 5: Open

Open

A/N I apologize again… I have exams coming up….

I'll try my best to update, but I apologize in advance. Thank you for reading, and please review!

Oh and the stuff in italics are Austria's thoughts, in case you were wondering.

Austria P.O.V.

 _It's not just opening the door, it's letting him in. Letting him in to my hectic mind, and trusting him with my thoughts._

Roderich recognized at least three mistakes that he made that day.

Firstly, not responding to Gilbert.

Secondly, bolting out of the room.

And lastly, leaving Gilbert alone in a room full of objects that were very fragile (though that wasn't really the most important thing at the moment).

Nothing could shift his mind from the embarrassment that not only was likely to be waiting downstairs, but also within the depths of his soul.

It was like an eternal pit of darkness, there was no way Prussia was letting him get away this time. Maybe if he didn't go downstairs, Gilbert would leave?

"Roderich, I know you're in there. Won't you just open the door?"

 _Of course he wouldn't leave. I should've known better._

Maybe faking sick would be better, after all, Gilbert always thought that he was weak.

"And don't even think about telling me that you're sick, the awesome me won't fall for that again"

It was true, he used that excuse too many times, especially before Gilbert had the nerve to break into his house. Or that time when Gilbert broke into the house, and Austria didn't really want to deal with him.

Gilbert wasn't actually as dense as he thought.

"Mein Gott Roderich! If you don't open the door, the door isn't going to see the light of day!"

He didn't want to talk about the feelings of loneliness (that he finally admitted that he felt) whenever Gilbert wasn't around. He didn't want to confront the emotions that passed through him when Prussia caught him. Roderich really didn't want to see Gilbert.

He heard a sigh on the other side of the door.

"Roderich, why are you always like this? Why won't you just let me in? I'll shut up if you want. Or do you want me to shut up? Won't you just-"

"The door isn't locked."

"What?! Why didn't you say so earlier?"  
A ghost of a smile appeared on Austria's face as Gilbert opened the door.

 _I'll probably regret this later._


	6. Chapter 6 : Expression

Expression

A/N I'm so sorry! It's been over a month! School was pretty hectic. I'll try to update more often! The story is almost done… this is probably the second last chapter.

Thank you for reading, and I would really appreciate it if you reviewed…

Oh and I don't own Hetalia!

 _He wouldn't understand anything if I didn't tell him, right?_

Austria sat upright on the bed as Gilbert entered the room.

"Well?"

Prussia looked into his eyes as if trying to find the answer to his own question.

"Well what?"

"Don't play dumb, Austria, you know what I mean. You're supposed to explain, you know. You never say anything so I have no clue why you always run away from me."

"But I don't know why!"

And it was true. Roderich didn't know his own emotions, his own feelings because he had never had to deal with them before.

It was like putting of something dreadfully important every single day of the year until it became some big mess.

And he couldn't get himself to clean it up.

"What do you mean you don't know? It's you, Roderich. Only you would know what you want and what you feel!"

"I told you, I don't know, okay? I don't know why I'm always running away from you or why I'm always mean to you even though I don't want to be. I don't know why sometimes I like to hear you talk or why I like listening to you sing. And I don't know why each time I push you away, I want you to-"

Austria shut himself up immediately. He had already said too much and he felt his face heat up again. He put his head in his hands.

And the room was silent for a while.

"Want me to what?"

Prussia's tone was surprisingly softer and seemed almost gentle.

 _I already went this far, might as well go the whole way._

Roderich took a deep breath in and sat up.

"Well, I…I sort of wanted you t-to stay. I-it's a bit lonely around without out you and a bit quiet. Don't take it the wrong way, it's not like I enjoy your company. Well actually I sort of do…"

And Austria kept going in circles, contradicting himself all the way. He felt himself get warmer as if his face was starting to burn as he tried to express his feelings for once.

It felt horrible, but oddly relieving. Like the mess that became landfills started to clear out.

 _Like some sort of confession_

The thought only made him feel worse.

"Well, go ahead and laugh or something."  
"I wouldn't laugh, you know. It's the one time that you're actually honest, and it's sorta cute."

Prussia was smiling, and it seemed to light up the room.

"I am not cute."

"If you told me that you like having me around, I would've come more often. I like being with you, you know? I know you're not always honest about how you feel, I've had to deal with that for the past years. It might take a while, but I'll wait till you're ready."

"I never said that I wanted you to come around more often. And what do you mean by ready?"

Gilbert laughed and hugged him.

"Ready to tell me how you really feel"

And then Roderich pushed him away and left the room as the laughter in his room sounded like sweet bells.

 _It's like you know me better than I do._

 _How long are you willing to wait?_


	7. Chapter 7 : Acceptance

Acceptance

A/N Thank you so much for reading this story! I really do hope that you write a review at the end

Enjoy!

 _I knew how he was: annoying, crude, and occasionally despicable. But for once, I supposed that I cared for him nonetheless._

It was a normal thing now, to have him there every day and to make lunch for him. He never forgot, he always stayed, sometimes the whole day and often not.

He still shared stories and tended to repeat 1 or 2 from time to time. But when Roderich mentioned it, Gilbert's eyes would seem to shine brighter than before with a look of joy. A joy to know that someone listened to him.

It had been several weeks since that day. And it seemed like Gilbert was willing to wait forever. Forever to be accepted, and possibly loved.

Though, the second option seemed highly unlikely.

"Hey Roddy, I'm gonna go out for some drinks with Francis and Antonio later, don't get too lonely without me!"

Gilbert's voice rang through the house, from the floor above.

"I won't be."

It was about time to clean up after the mess that Gilbert tended to leave behind. He tended to make the floors muddy and break various expensive items in his free time.

"Oh come on, don't be so cold!" exclaimed the obnoxious man, as he burst into the kitchen," I bet you actually love me and my awesome company!"

"Yes, sure, whatever you say, Gilbert."

Then, there was silence as Roderich continued to wash the dishes. He had not been paying attention at all. So, as he began to take in what he said, his face grew as red as an apple.

Gilbert's face wasn't all that pale either.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Well, I suppose that your company has been tolerable recently."

"How about me? Have I been 'tolerable' recently?"

"I suppose. I suppose you have been slightly more tolerable."

"Love you too, Roderich"

As he said the words, the Prussian pulled him into a tight hug. Roderich made no attempt to escape the embrace.

Rather, he let the strange warmth fill him with some sort of happiness.

"Roderich, this isn't over, you know. I'm not letting go till you respond. It's not that hard you know it's just three-"

"Ich liebe dich, Gilbert"

Prussia immediately pulled out of the embrace.

"What, really? I mean, I'm totally awesome I was wondering how long it would take for you to see that. It's been way too long…"

As Gilbert rambled along, he seemed to shine. His smile seemed contagious and Roderich couldn't help staring.

"What, something on my face?"

"No, it's nothing", Roderich replied with a light smile on his face.

So as they walked down the hall, Roderich realized that he accepted Gilbert just the way he was.

 _Neither of them would ever have to change._


End file.
